History of the Railroad
The Ulster and Delaware Railroad Company (U&D) was a Class I railroad located in New York State, headquartered in Rondout and founded in 1866. It was often advertised as “The Only All-Rail Route To the Catskill Mountains.” At its greatest extent, the U&D ran from Kingston Point, on the Hudson River, through the heart of the Catskill Mountains to its western terminus at Oneonta, passing through four counties (Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego), with branches to Kaaterskill and Hunter in Greene County. The U&D connected with six other railroads: the West Shore, Wallkill, and O&W in Kingston, the D&N in Arkville, the Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley in West Davenport, and the D&H in Oneonta.
Although a small railroad, it was big in stature, as it went through many favored tourist hot-spots. Many elegant hotels kept business going, some of which were sponsored or built by the railroad. Besides the passenger business, there were also plenty of farms and creameries (most of them in Delaware County) as well as businesses shipping coal, stone, ice and various wood products.
A section of the railroad from Highmount to Roxbury was saved by the Catskill Revitalization Corp. CRC began running trains from its purchase into 2020 when the railroad ceased operation due to Covid19 and much needed restoration. In 2026, CRC will resume scenic trains every Saturday starting on July 4, 2026. Come check us out at the Arkville Station!
